An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading across gold mining communities, with authorities struggling to contain cases that may have already circulated undetected. A nurse from Bunia is believed to be Patient Zero, with clusters of suspected deaths reported in Mongwalu and Rwampara.

Congo's Health Minister Samuel Kamba reported 159 deaths and 626 suspected cases in an ongoing Ebola outbreak centered in Ituri province, with cases appearing across multiple localities including Bunia and Mongwalu.

An Ebola outbreak has been reported in the towns of Rwampara, Mongwalu, and Bunia in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Aid cuts left DRC blind to Ebola – Oxfam is mounting a response Nesrine Aly Mon, 05/18/2026 - 12:51 On Reacting to the World Health Organization’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — with over 400 suspected cases and 89 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo — Dr. Manenji Mangudu, Oxfam Country Director in the DRC, said:   “Our partners are sending us deeply alarming reports. One doctor in Mongwalu Health Zone, Ituri told us: ‘There are already deaths in the community.

La République démocratique du Congo fait face au retour du virus Ebola qui sévit principalement dans la province de l’est d’Ituri. À Bunia, la capitale provinciale, mais aussi dans la zone minière de Mongwalu, à 90 kilomètres environ plus au nord. À Kinshasa, l’Institut national de recherche biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa a séquencé ce virus.

The health minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Sunday that authorities had already selected sites in Rwampara and Mongwalu to establish new treatment centers and that dozens of patients were receiving active care.